A 75-year-old Communist Party of India (Marxist) worker, who allegedly, attempted self-immolation in Indore, died in the wee hours of Monday.
Ramesh Prajapat, who was also part of the Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch, allegedly set himself on fire, in front of BR Ambedkar’s statue at Geeta Bhawan square on Friday, January 24, 2020.
Prajapat was rushed to MY hospital with 90 per cent burn injuries and was in critical condition.
Prajapat had been participating in protests against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) regularly at Manikbagh Chowk and Badwali Chowki. He distributed copies of a self-drafted awareness pamphlet in Hindi titled Attack on secular Constitution of India.
Several of these pamphlets were found in Prajapat’s bag, police said.
Image source: Tej Times News
The pamphlets talked about the sacrifices of Bhagat Singh, Ashfaqullah Khan and other freedom fighters. Regret over the killings, arrests and action against protesters in UP and other parts of the country during anti-NRC protests was also mentioned.
An investigation has started and the exact cause behind the incident will be known only after the investigation is over, police said.
Senior police officer Nirmal Kumar said that it was too early to establish a link between the incident and the Prajapat’s involvement in anti-CAA protests.
Badal Saroj, CPI(M) leader, however, stated that the CAA and NPR were the reasons that led Prajapat to take the ultimate step.
‘The cause is evident. He had spoken to the leadership and had urged to spread awareness on these issues. He had approved the booklet that the CPM has published on the issue but cautioned that it would not reach the masses. Also, he had urged to publish a pamphlet which could be easily distributed. He had himself written a pamphlet and was carrying it when he took the extreme step,’ India Today quoted CPM leader Badal Saroj as saying.
His family has asked for a fair investigation to ascertain the exact cause behind Prajapati’s death.
Also read: CAA Set To Create Largest Statelessness Crisis: European Union, India Calls It Internal Matter
